Eat Gluten Free at bd’s Mongolian Grill

In my quest to find places to safely eat out, I am happy to give this great report on bd’s Mongolian Grill!  Be sure to follow the steps below to ensure your safety while dining.

bd’s Mongolian Grill Gluten Free Bowl

It had been awhile since I had given them a try, so I decided to stop in during a busy dinner hour and give it another whirl.  The results were excellent (again)!  However, if you try to figure it out when you get there, since there are a few steps to ensure your safety, it’s best (as always) to be prepared.  Your meal will take a little longer to make, so be aware of that if dining with a group of people.

Follow these steps to ensure a safe, delicious, GGF-approved meal that you will enjoy!

1.  If you’ve never dined at bd’s, you might want to first understand the process.  Essentially, the waiter brings you an empty bowl (they will offer you rice or tortillas, so be sure to turn that down) and you proceed to the food bar.  There are three food bars; one with raw meats, one with fresh vegetables, and one with sauces and other condiments.  You will enjoy two out of three of these stations*.

*Please note that the possibility of cross contamination at the food bars does exist.  Though bd’s posts a sign asking people not to use the serving utensils in other compartments, people are people and that may occur.  As a precaution, I generally never choose items that are next to the pasta compartments, just in case.

2.  Take your empty bowl and choose the GGF-approved ingredients:

• All meats and seafood EXCEPT chicken, turkey, sausage and anything that is more than one ingredient
• All vegetables/starches EXCEPT tofu, corn, rice, noodles
• SUGGESTED COMBINATION:
  • NY strip steak, sirloin, pork chop, scallops, and shrimp; add bean sprouts, mushrooms, pea pods, carrots, celery, and red pepper*

TIP:  Place the vegetables in your bowl first, and then top with your meat choices.  You’ll be able to lay the meat on top easily and fit more in your bowl!  Don’t skimp – fill ‘er up!

*You may be asking at this point why I would have you skip the third bar with the sauces and condiments.  bd’s does mark some of their sauces as gluten free, but as you know, there are hidden contaminants by other names and they may also contain soy or MSG even if marked as gluten free.  “When in doubt, leave it out,” is what I stick with.  The butter is just fine for a sauce!  You won’t miss that MSG!

3.  Grab a raw egg or two; these are sometimes on the vegetable bar and sometimes on the spice bar.

4.  Skip the line for the grill and walk your bowl filled with it’s fresh contents to the kitchen door.  Tell the person there that you have an allergy bowl, and you would like it cooked in real butter or olive oil only.  They will ask at what table you are sitting.

5.  Sit down and wait.  Drink your water.  Listen to the crew sing happy birthday and watch them make funny foil hats.  Drink some more water.  Play with the salt shaker.  Watch your friends come back to your table with their plates and observe non-judgmentally how much gluten they are ingesting.

6.  The waiter will bring your plate directly to you!  Relax, enjoy, and eat safely!  I usually end up with plenty to take home for leftovers (they also offer a to go option).  Delicious and fun with friends!

~GGF Gourmet